Letter of Intent 1. Letter of Intent for Graduate Final Project: Youth Substance Use and Abuse: A Literature Review.

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1 Letter of Intent 1 Running Head: YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE Letter of Intent for Graduate Final Project: Youth Substance Use and Abuse: A Literature Review Jessica Heatley Campus Alberta Applied Psychology

2 Letter of Intent 2 Letter of Intent for Graduate Final Project: Youth Substance Use and Abuse: A Literature Review This letter of intent arises out of the belief that further research is needed to reflect a youth perspective on substance use and abuse. It provides rationale and implications that reflect the need for this final project, as well as the need for future studies, which is also supported by the review of relevant literature. Problem Statement Canada is a unique, multiculturally diverse country (Statistics Canada, 2003) that faces many challenges. One challenge that is facing Canadian youth in particular is substance use and abuse (Kaiser Foundation, 2002). Most literature that is currently available on this issue is out of date, not focused on a youth perspective, or has been conducted in other countries (Kaiser). Further research in this area is therefore needed to ascertain what literature is available pertaining to substance use and abuse by today s youth, the currently available prevention and treatment programs designed specifically for youth, the youth perspective on this topic, and the issues and challenges of youth substance use and abuse in our country. This final project will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the currently available literature, while providing a rationale for the need for further research in this area. Project Rationale The purpose of this final project is to ascertain what literature is available surrounding the issues and challenges facing adolescent youth in regards to substance use and abuse and to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the youth perspective on substance use and abuse, focusing on literature that addresses the following questions: What do today s youth think about using various substances? What do they consider to be substances? What is the distinction

3 Letter of Intent 3 between substance use and abuse? What has led to many of today s youth to use and abuse various substances is it socially linked or emotion-based? Do youth use some particular substances more than others and is there more acceptance or disgrace of using one substance over another? The focus of this final project shall be on studies and research on adolescent youth aged 13 to 18 substance use and abuse, and research that has been conducted, if any, that has included a youth perspective. As a result of this final project, the author will recommend areas for further research, which may in turn assist in the creation and funding of prevention and treatment programs. In particular, increased awareness and understanding of this topic may help in the development of programs for youth who are currently using and/or abusing substances and have not entered into treatment programs. Further information in this area will also be useful in providing a personal insight into what the current literature describes as the youth perspective regarding substance use and abuse might be, possibly creating a better understanding of this issue for school and youth counsellors, family and mental health physicians, and community funded projects. A vast amount of funding, time, and research has focused upon understanding, preventing, and treating substance abuse, while there has been an extremely limited, if not nonexistent, amount of literature focusing upon the research of substance use and abuse that includes a youth perspective (Kaiser Foundation, 2002). Discovering what research has been conducted, if any that exists that has included youth in this important topic of substance use and abuse could provide valuable insight for future programs. In addition, most of the focus has been upon prevention programs for young children, and the creation of treatment programs for heavy users, rather than on youth who casually use substances. Thus this final project will also explore the need for further research into the topic of casual users.

4 Letter of Intent 4 Our society is constantly changing and the current available literature does not appear to be changing with it. Today s youth use substances for various reasons, such as family and genetic ties (Gardner & Young, 2000), exposure to high-risk activities (Hayward, Cook & Thorne, 1994), interest created through the media (National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign, 2001) and the internet (Department of Justice, October 2002), and those who attend social gatherings such as Raves (Department of Justice, August 2002; Department of Justice, October 2002; Hunt & Evans, 2003; Yacoubian, Deutsch, & Schumacher, 2004). However, very little research has been conducted with the youth themselves on the issue of substance use and abuse, with an even smaller amount of focus upon these previously mentioned topics. Any further research in this area will greatly assist in creating appropriate, up-to-date programs to combat this ever-growing challenge facing today s youth. So to summarize, this CAAP final project will create a compilation of the currently available literature on youth substance use and abuse, prevention and treatment programs, and a focus on the ideas, thoughts and feelings of youth regarding the issue of substance use and abuse. The information obtained during this final project may potentially answer the questions as to why youth are using certain substances, how this is being accomplished and what today s youth think and feel about this subject and the effectiveness of current treatment and prevention programs. This information will be useful to professionals working with today s youth, as it can provide essential data as to which future substance-focused programs should be created and their potential to be effective. Supporting Literature Substance use and abuse is a ubiquitous aspect of our culture and there are a growing number of youth becoming involved in this part of our society, with the potential to lead to addiction (Bonomo & Bowes, 2001; Grantmakers Health, 2003). In fact, according to a number

5 Letter of Intent 5 of researchers, historically we have never had a completely abstinent society (Metzler, 1996) which has created numerous obstacles for our society. Moreover, despite the long history with substance use and abuse many of the programs that have been utilized to date have had a very small impact on the youth involved with these substances. In addition any positive effect noted is often minor and does not last long after the program has finished (Burke, 2002). In fact, it has been noted by Dr. Ronald Lynam (1999) that many prevention programs, such as the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program which was created in 1983 experienced no longterm effects on substance use and abuse 10 years later, and that some participants involved in this program of complete abstinence, Just Say NO! were even more likely to engage in significantly higher levels of substance use (Vigh, 1999). Researchers need to gain a more thorough understanding of the complicated issue of youth substance use and abuse, and why current prevention and treatment programs do not appear to be as effectual, if successful youth substance use and abuse programs are to be created. Although there is a vast amount of information available on substance use and abuse, and treatment programs, there is very little information available on a youth perspective on this topic (Department of Justice, August 2002; Department of Justice, October 2002; Hunt, & Evans, 2003; Yacoubian, Deutsch, & Schumacher, 2004). In addition, the information that is available has been mostly focused on children s prevention programs or adult treatment programs rather than focusing on today s youth (Antoniadis, 1994; Bonomo, & Bowes, 2001; Buck, 1999; Burke, 2002; Department of Justice, October 2002; Join Together, 2000; Metzler, 1996; National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1999; National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign 2001; Sloboda, 2003). It is for this exact reason that it is essential that substance programs are created with a

6 Letter of Intent 6 youth perspective (Burke, 2002; D.A.R.E. Kids; Gittman & Cassata, 1994; Skiba, Monroe, &Wodarski, 2004) if they are to be effective. Method In order to ascertain a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of substance use and abuse by today s youth, this CAAP final project consisting of a literature review has been proposed. This project shall focus on creating a compilation of any research that has been conducted on youth substance use and abuse. It shall review, summarize and critique the abundant available literature surrounding the use and abuse of substances by youth, the various treatment programs available to youth, and society s attitude towards substance addiction that are dated from 1992 until the present date. This shall be accomplished through an organized and thorough search of the available electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EBSCO, ERIC and PsycINFO. Search words utilized for this investigation shall include the words: youth, drugs, addiction, substance abuse, prevention, treatment, treatment centres, and school-based programs. The focus shall then be narrowed in an attempt to locate and include any and all available literature that focuses upon the topic of youth substance use and abuse. For the purposes of this project, the term youth shall refer to adolescents between the ages of 13 to 18 that are currently living within a Westernized society. These youth may be currently in school, working, and/or may come from varying cultural backgrounds. In addition, although the term substances can refer to numerous items, for the purposes of this project, this term shall refer to any item being utilized by an individual other than which it was prescribed for, and/or both legal and illegal substances, such as illicit drugs, hallucinogens, inhalants, or other mind-altering material utilized for uses other than their original intention.

7 Letter of Intent 7 In order to discover how youth view and interpret substance use, it is vital that they are included in the research. Only through the inclusion of a youth perspective on this topic, can we envision how youth view this issue, what they feel should be done about it, and what they are equipped to do to combat this challenge facing them. Therefore, all of the literature included in this final project shall provide information on youth and their involvement with substances, whether it be through prevention or treatment programs, counselling youth, or health related concerns, in order to provide a more current, and accurate portrayal of youth substance use and abuse. Although the purpose of this final project is to discover what literature is currently available that includes the ideas and thoughts youth have surrounding the issue of substance use and abuse, no research shall be conducted with youth and will strictly be a literature review. This final project of a literature review shall answer the questions: What literature is available surrounding the issue and challenges of youth substance use and abuse? Is this literature current and relevant to the issues and challenges facing today s youth? What areas should the researchers potentially focus on for further investigations in the future in regards to youth substance use and abuse? And what is the youth perspective on the issue of substance use and abuse? Implications Youth, parents/guardians, teachers, counsellors, medical professionals and researchers could potentially benefit from the valuable information obtained in this CAAP final project. This information could be utilized to create new prevention and treatment programs, improve current programs, and lead to further research in this area. The possible benefits that may be gained include safer streets and schools as drug-related crimes may be limited (Antoniadis, 1994). There could potentially be fewer drug-related health concerns, such as the increased cases of H.I.V. created by intravenous drug use, drug-induced psychosis, suicide attempts, as well as illnesses

8 Letter of Intent 8 which stem from poor hygiene and nutrition caused by addiction (Buck, 1999). Limiting these effects, will in turn save tax payers money, due to a reduction in the incarceration of addicts, as well as a decreased need for treatment programs, and a decreased cost on the healthcare system (Bonomo & Bowes, 2001; Metzler, 1996). As noted previously, there is an extremely limited amount of current research available, if any, from a youth perspective (Burke, 2002; Gittman & Cassata, 1994; Skiba, Monroe, &Wodarski, 2004). Therefore, this project could result in a new way of thinking and approaching the subject of youth substance use and abuse. As well, this project may create concrete examples and data which can be presented to the appropriate government and municipal authorities, verifying the need for prevention, treatment, and detox programs for the youth population, thereby possibly increasing funding for such programs. Thus this project has the ability to enhance the research in this area and also improve and increase future programs.

9 Letter of Intent 9 References Antoniadis, A. (1994, October). Developing a seamless system for meeting the needs of young children affected by alcohol and other drugs through training and technical assistance. Paper presented at the Safe schools, Safe Students: a Collaborative Approach to Achieving Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools Conducive to Learning Conference, Washington, D.C. Bonomo,Y. & Bowes, G. (2001). Annotation: putting harm reduction into an adolescent context. Child Health, 37, 5-8. Buck, C. (June, 1999). Summary of outcome data for youth alcohol and other drug abuse programs. Wisconsin State Department of Health and Family Services. Retrieved November 25, 2004 from the ERIC database. Burke, M. (2002). School-based substance abuse prevention: political finger-pointing does not work. Federal Probation, 66, D.A.R.E. Kids. (n.d.). What is D.A.R.E.? Retrieved November 12, 2004, from Department of Justice, Washington D.C., (August 2002). Information Brief: Prescription Drug Abuse and Youth. Retrieved October 29, 2004, from US Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center Website: Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., (October 2002). Information Bulletin: Drugs, Youth and the Internet. Retrieved October 29, 2004, from US Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center Website:

10 Letter of Intent 10 Gardner, S. & Young, N., (June 2000). Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs in the Lives of Young Children. The California University Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. Retrieved October 27, 2004, from the ERIC database. Gittman, E., & Cassata, M. (1994, October). A prevention program for middle-school high-risk youth. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, Ellenville, NY. Grantmakers Health. (2003). The Substance Abuse Factor: Putting Practice into Action. Retrieved November 1, 2004, from the Grantmakers in Health Resource Center Website: Hayward, B., Cook, R., & Thorne, J. (1994). Community-Based Prevention Services for High-Risk Youth: A Study of the Governors DFSCA Program. Final Report. Retrieved October 27, 2004, from the ERIC database. Hunt, G., & Evans, K. (2003). Dancing and drugs: a cross-national perspective. Contemporary Drug Problems, 30, Join Together. (April 2000). Youth prevention. Technical assistance packet. Retrieved November 1, 2004, from the ERIC database. Kaiser Foundation. (2002). Our History. Retrieved November 12, 2004, from Metzler, B. (1996). Strategies against drugs. Basis Info, 25, National Institute on Drug Abuse. (October 1999). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-based Guide. Retrieved October 29, 2004, from ERIC database. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. (2001). Helping Youth Navigate the Media Age: A New Approach to Drug Prevention. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from

11 Letter of Intent 11 Skiba, D., Monroe, J., & Wodarski, J. (2004). Adolescent substance use: reviewing the effectiveness of prevention strategies. Social Work, 49, Sloboda, Z. (2003). Substance abuse prevention in the United States: past, present, and future. Connection: Linking Drug Abuse Services Research and Practice, 6, 1-3. Statistics Canada. (2003). Update on Cultural Diversity. Canadian Social Trends, 11, Vigh, M. (1999, August). Study questions: the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. anti-drug program. The Salt Lake Tribune, pp Yacoubian, G., Deutsch, J., & Schumacher, E. (2004). Estimating the prevalence of Ecstasy use among club rave attendees. Contemporary Drug Problems, 31,

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